Kaya
Bankers Hill // Unique Housing Complex Now Complete in Bankers Hill
Kaya is an 8-story 78-unit mid-rise residential building in Bankers Hill. It is located at the northwest corner of Third Avenue and Nutmeg Street, and is bordered on its north end by the new Olive Street Park. The development is complete and now open for lease as of August 2025.
Designed by Jeff Svitak and developed as a joint venture between Svitak and CAST Communities, Kaya is architecturally unique, especially in regards to the neighboring new developments in Bankers Hill. The corridors between units on the upper floors are all open to the outside, and the massing of the building is broken up into 4 slender vertical strips on its short edge. This is contrasted by a long edge that reads as somewhat monolithic, only broken up by non-sequentially arranged windows, punched balconies, and expression of the concrete slabs to “reflect the honesty of the building elements.”
The final product of the building is a touch diluted when compared to the pristine original renderings, now sporting visible vents on the facade, a surprisingly tall rooftop railing, and required aircraft lights due to the nearby San Diego Airport. Regardless, Kaya adds to Svitak’s growing collection of instantly recognizable architectural statements in the Uptown San Diego area.
The site Kaya now sits on was originally taken up by a 2-story multifamily house, as well as a standalone dentist’s office. The development has underground parking and utilizes a stackable parking system, and the ground floor of the building has a commercial space now occupied by local coffee company and café Communal Coffee.
Much like many other new multifamily housing developments in San Diego, Kaya utilized the Complete Communities Housing Solutions program to add density. It speaks well to that program’s success that even projects such as Kaya, projects which aren’t located immediately on main streets but rather in more quiet areas of Uptown, are being permitted and built nevertheless.
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